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AP Gov Political Parties and Interest Groups Practice Test

Unofficial practice on parties, third parties and interest groups, topics 5.3 to 5.7 of Unit 5 in AP Government.

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the College Board. Bank checked October 11, 2026.

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Topic 5.4: How and why parties change 13

  • A party builds a file on each voter's past turnout and likely views, then sends different messages to different households. Which adaptation in the course description is this? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics Course and Exam Description, EK 5.4.A.4; course topic 5.4
  • A party rewrites its message on jobs and schools to win more votes from a fast-growing group of young urban voters. In the terms of the course description, what is it doing? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics Course and Exam Description, EK 5.4.A.2; course topic 5.4
  • A party that had been in the minority wins an election, becomes the majority and stays dominant for a long period. What is such an election called? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 10.5, "Party Identification"; course topic 5.4
  • After reforms adopted in 1972, many state parties switched from caucuses to primary elections for choosing convention delegates. What did the switch do? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 10.1, "History of American Political Parties"; course topic 5.4
  • By 1896 most states issued a secret ballot listing all parties and candidates. How did this loosen the parties' hold on voters? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 10.1, "History of American Political Parties"; course topic 5.4
  • The course description names three things that have influenced the structure of parties. Critical elections and campaign finance law are two. What is the third? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics Course and Exam Description, EK 5.4.A.3; course topic 5.4
  • In a candidate-centered campaign, where is the public's attention, by the course description? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics Course and Exam Description, EK 5.4.A.1; course topic 5.4
  • Progressive reformers wanted the public, not meetings of party elites, to choose a party's nominees. Which device did they advocate? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 10.1, "History of American Political Parties"; course topic 5.4
  • Voters loosen their ties to both parties and decide each election on short-term factors, such as a candidate's leadership qualities. What is this called? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 10.5, "Party Identification"; course topic 5.4
  • What do political scientists call a realignment of the parties? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 10.5, "Party Identification"; course topic 5.4
  • What do political scientists mean by a party coalition? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 10.5, "Party Identification"; course topic 5.4
  • What has happened to party identification since the 1960s, by the textbook? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 10.5, "Party Identification"; course topic 5.4
  • Which election does the textbook give as a critical election, one that ended Republican dominance going back to the 1890s? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 10.5, "Party Identification"; course topic 5.4

Topic 5.5: Third-party politics 12

  • A district elects ten members by proportional representation, and a small party wins 20 percent of the vote. How many seats does it receive? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 10.6, "Minor Parties"; course topic 5.5
  • A minor party endorses a major party's candidate, whose name then appears on the ballot under both party labels. What kind of minor party is it? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 10.6, "Minor Parties"; course topic 5.5
  • A minor-party candidate takes 3 percent of the vote in a close race, most of it from one major-party candidate, who then loses narrowly. What is the minor-party candidate called? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 10.6, "Minor Parties"; course topic 5.5
  • A small party wins 20 percent of the vote in each of ten single-member districts, and a larger party leads in every one. How many of the ten seats does the small party win? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 10.6, "Minor Parties"; course topic 5.5
  • A third party gains support for a new policy, and a major party then writes that policy into its own platform. What usually follows, by the textbook? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 10.6, "Minor Parties"; course topic 5.5
  • No minor-party candidate has been elected president. What lasting effect have minor parties had all the same? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 10.6, "Minor Parties"; course topic 5.5
  • What argument do major-party candidates make to voters who lean toward a third-party candidate? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 10.6, "Minor Parties"; course topic 5.5
  • What is a minor party, or third party? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 10.6, "Minor Parties"; course topic 5.5
  • Which legal obstacle to minor parties does the textbook describe? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 10.6, "Minor Parties"; course topic 5.5
  • Which pair of systems does the course description contrast in explaining why third parties struggle? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics Course and Exam Description, EK 5.5.A.1; course topic 5.5
  • Which principle of political science holds that single-member districts with first-past-the-post voting tend to leave only two powerful parties? Wikipedia, "Duverger's law"; course topic 5.5
  • Why do winner-take-all, single-member districts work against third parties? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 10.6, "Minor Parties"; course topic 5.5

Topic 5.6: Interest groups and policymaking 18

  • A large association of older Americans charges a small yearly fee and offers members health insurance and lower prices on prescription drugs. How does this answer the free-rider problem? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 9.1, "The Interest Group System"; course topic 5.6
  • A lobbyist tells a representative how many voters in her district would be affected by a bill. Which of the three kinds of information is this? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 9.2, "Lobbying: The Art of Influence"; course topic 5.6
  • A trade association writes the text of a bill and hands it to a friendly legislator to introduce. Which activity named in the course description is this? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics Course and Exam Description, EK 5.6.A.1; course topic 5.6
  • An aide leaves a congressional committee and takes a job lobbying that same committee. What is this movement between government and lobbying called? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 9.2, "Lobbying: The Art of Influence"; course topic 5.6
  • An environmental group is not a party to a case before the Supreme Court, but it wants the justices to weigh its research. What may it ask to file? Legal Information Institute, Wex, "amicus curiae"; course topic 5.6
  • An interest group asks its members to call and write their own representatives about a bill. What is this strategy called? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 9.2, "Lobbying: The Art of Influence"; course topic 5.6
  • By the textbook, when is a policymaker most likely to grant a lobbyist access? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 9.2, "Lobbying: The Art of Influence"; course topic 5.6
  • Clean-air laws won by an environmental group benefit members and nonmembers alike. What do the nonmembers who enjoy the cleaner air illustrate? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 9.1, "The Interest Group System"; course topic 5.6
  • Federalist No. 10 considers curing faction by removing liberty and rejects the idea. With what comparison? The Federalist No. 10, Avalon Project, Yale Law School; course topic 5.6
  • How do interest groups try to shape who becomes a federal judge? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 9.2, "Lobbying: The Art of Influence"; course topic 5.6
  • In Federalist No. 10, what is a faction? The Federalist No. 10, Avalon Project, Yale Law School; course topic 5.6
  • Lobbying rests most directly on which clause of the First Amendment? National Archives, The Bill of Rights: A Transcription, Amendment I; course topic 5.6
  • One group has millions of members and large financial reserves; another has a few hundred members and no staff. What does the course description say follows? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics Course and Exam Description, EK 5.6.B.1; course topic 5.6
  • Thousands of people join a civil liberties group after an event because they want to help it reach its goals. Which incentive moved them? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 9.1, "The Interest Group System"; course topic 5.6
  • What do lobbyists do, in the textbook's definition of lobbying? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 9.2, "Lobbying: The Art of Influence"; course topic 5.6
  • When might an interest group turn to the courts, by the textbook? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 9.2, "Lobbying: The Art of Influence"; course topic 5.6
  • Which duty did the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 place on lobbyists? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 9.2, "Lobbying: The Art of Influence"; course topic 5.6
  • Why are iron triangles also called subgovernments? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 9.3, "Interest Groups and the Political System"; course topic 5.6

Topic 5.7: Groups and policy outcomes 14

  • A bill passes over the objection of a powerful interest group. What does the textbook say tends to happen to such a bill? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 9.3, "Interest Groups and the Political System"; course topic 5.7
  • A company that is being sued by a federal department urges Congress to approve the lowest possible budget for that department. Which stage of policymaking is the company trying to influence? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 9.2, "Lobbying: The Art of Influence"; course topic 5.7
  • A group works only to change the laws on drunk driving and takes no position on any other question. What kind of group is it? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics Course and Exam Description, EK 5.7.A.1; course topic 5.7
  • A state government opens an office in Washington to press Congress for more highway money. Which type of interest group is the state acting as? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 9.1, "The Interest Group System"; course topic 5.7
  • By the course description, which actors compete to shape policy such as the federal budget? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics Course and Exam Description, EK 5.7.A.2; course topic 5.7
  • By the textbook, when are interest groups often most successful? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 9.3, "Interest Groups and the Political System"; course topic 5.7
  • The election of 1932 brought a new majority coalition to power, and broad new social welfare policies followed. Which statement in the course description does this illustrate? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics Course and Exam Description, EK 5.7.A.3; course topic 5.7
  • Farmers win a subsidy. Food processors, hurt by the higher prices that follow, form a group of their own to press for relief. Which account of how groups form does this fit? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 9.1, "The Interest Group System"; course topic 5.7
  • Two groups that disagree on most questions join to fight one proposal. What does a coalition add, according to the textbook? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 9.3, "Interest Groups and the Political System"; course topic 5.7
  • Which is usually easier for an interest group: stopping a bill or passing one? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 9.3, "Interest Groups and the Political System"; course topic 5.7
  • Which of these is a way interest groups take part in elections, by the textbook? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 9.1, "The Interest Group System"; course topic 5.7
  • Which theory holds that interest groups' competition yields compromise and balance among policy preferences? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 9.3, "Interest Groups and the Political System"; course topic 5.7
  • Which type of interest group works for widely accepted ideas of the common good, such as consumer protection or human rights? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 9.1, "The Interest Group System"; course topic 5.7
  • Why do relatively few interest groups endorse a presidential candidate? American Government and Politics in the Information Age (open textbook, Saylor Academy edition), section 9.1, "The Interest Group System"; course topic 5.7

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the party and interest group topics of Unit 5, Political Participation (5.3 Political Parties; 5.4 How and Why Political Parties Change and Adapt; 5.5 Third-Party Politics; 5.6 Interest Groups Influencing Policymaking; 5.7 Groups Influencing Policy Outcomes), in the College Board's AP U.S. Government and Politics Course and Exam Description, effective fall 2026, https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-us-government-and-politics-course-and-exam-description.pdf, read 2026-10-11. Each fact was read on 2026-10-11 in the public page named under its question: an open college textbook (American Government and Politics in the Information Age, Saylor Academy edition), Federalist No. 10 at the Avalon Project of Yale Law School, the National Archives transcript of the Bill of Rights, Cornell's Legal Information Institute, an essential knowledge statement of the course description, or a Wikipedia article. Licence: Own work. Short quotations from the public documents named under each question.

How it works

This AP Government political parties and interest groups practice test has 71 questions of our own: what parties do, why they change, why third parties struggle and how interest groups shape policy. It is unofficial and not affiliated with the College Board.

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What the questions cover

The College Board's course description, effective fall 2026 and read October 11, 2026, places these topics in Unit 5, Political Participation. The bank follows five of the unit's thirteen topics: 5.3, political parties (14 questions), 5.4, how and why parties change and adapt (13), 5.5, third-party politics (12), 5.6, interest groups influencing policymaking (18), and 5.7, groups influencing policy outcomes (14). The description gives topics no weights, so the spread is ours.

Sources you can open

Most answers cite a chapter of an open college textbook. Others cite Federalist No. 10 at Yale's Avalon Project, the National Archives, Cornell's Legal Information Institute, the course description, or a Wikipedia article.

  • A party runs candidates under its label; an interest group does not seek office. Many questions that mix the two turn on that.
  • The course description gives third parties two barriers: winner-take-all districts, and major parties that absorb their ideas.
  • Selective benefits go only to members. That is the answer to the free-rider problem.

Questions and answers

What unit are political parties and interest groups in AP Gov?

Unit 5, Political Participation, topics 5.3 to 5.7. The unit also covers voting, elections, campaign finance and the media, and it carries 20 to 27% of the multiple-choice section.

Is there an AP Gov practice test on interest groups alone?

Yes, within this page. Choose topic 5.6 or 5.7 in the topic list: 32 questions on lobbying, amicus curiae briefs, free riders and selective benefits, iron triangles, single-issue groups and coalitions.

Why do third parties rarely win in the United States?

Winner-take-all districts seat only the top vote-getter, so a party that finishes behind everywhere wins nothing, and the major parties take a third party's popular ideas into their own platforms.

What is the difference between a political party and an interest group?

A party is a lasting organization whose label candidates run and serve under. An interest group tries to influence policy and does not seek elective office itself.

Does this practice test use real AP Government exam questions?

No. The College Board owns the real questions, and none appears here, even in other words. Every question was written for this page from topics 5.3 to 5.7 of the course description.

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